Lawsuit questioning CHSRA environmental compliance dismissed

The Sacramento County Superior Court rejected the town of Atherton's lawsuit, finding that the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has complied with the environmental review requirements in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

"This is an important ruling and is testament to the fact that the authority is committed to delivering the high-speed rail project in accordance with the law and in partnership with the public," said Jeff Morales, CHSRA CEO. "We continue to move forward to start construction this summer and create thousands of jobs in California."

The town of Atherton had argued CHSRA did not comply with the requirements of CEQA, but the court rejected that argument, noting the project could proceed through a phased implementation approach or through a blended system in the Caltrain corridor.

The court also said that CHSRA did an adequate job of engaging the public in the environmental review process.

"Respondent adequately disclosed to the public how the project would be implemented and described in adequate detail what the environmental consequences of such implementation would be," the court said.

Since the beginning of the year, two other CEQA lawsuits brought against CHSRA have been settled.